Qld Labor targets Hervey Bay seat for poll

The Queensland government says it is gunning for the seat of Hervey Bay as a political dispute continues over who's responsible for a local hospital upgrade.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk joined Health Minister Cameron Dick and the seat's Labor candidate, Adrian Tantari, on Tuesday to open the first stage of works on the $44 million upgrade to Hervey Bay Hospital.

The premier made a special point to address the fact a sign on the way into town claimed the Liberal National Party's Member for Hervey Bay Ted Sorensen helped deliver the upgrade.

"It is through the hard work of the health minister speaking to be personally about the need for the expansion of this hospital, which has been initiated under my government and completed under my government."

However, Mr Sorensen said while he hadn't spoken to the premier he had spoken to Mr Dick about the issue a number of times.

"After a decade of lobbying by me and, despite nearly three years of Palaszczuk Labor dithering, and ironically just before a looming election, I am happy that Hervey Bay locals have their new hospital," he said in a statement.

Mr Sorensen holds Hervey Bay with a 6.6 per cent margin, but the seat has previously been held by Labor and is also being contested by One Nation.

It comes as the minority Labor government spends this week governing from the Wide Bay region, as it looks to shore up support ahead of the state election.

Labor holds the seats of Maryborough and Bundaberg, which it will have to retain as well as potentially gaining some seats on its way to holding at least 47 seats which would give it government in its own right.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad denied they were taking a "get Ted" strategy into the election, but said Hervey Bay voters could decide for themselves who had delivered for the area.

She also backed Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders to retain his seat for Labor, after he received a "rockstar reception" at a community meeting on Monday night.

The state election is due by May next year at the latest, but has been widely tipped to be called for before the end of November.